Electric controlling device for elevator-carriages



(No Modem 3 Sheets-Sheet 2-. W. E. NIOKBRSON.

ELECTRIC CONTROLLING DEVIGE FOR, ELEVATOR GARRIAGES.

Patented May 14, 1889.

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(No Model.\

W. E. NIOKERSON. ELEGTRIG CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR ELEVATOR GARRIAGES.

Patented May 14, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM E. NICKERSON, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRiC CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR ELEVATOR-CARRIAGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,439, dated May 14, 1889.

Application filed March 5, 1889. Serial No. 301,873. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM EMERY NIcK- ERSON, of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Controlling Devices for Elevator- Carriages, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention consists in making an electric device by which an electric motor or motors which control the hoisting-engine of an elevator may be caused to operate, said device embodying a set of fixed cams in the elevatorwell adapted to automatically change the position of electrode terminals, so that they may come in contact with sets of circuit-closing terminals arranged on movable switch-blocks. The two sets of terminalsnamely, those operated by the fixed cams in the elevator-well and those on the movable switch-blocksare adapted to coact with each other in such a manner that the attendant, regardless of the position of the carriage, can so set the switchblocks that the carriage will stop automatically at any floor.

I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical section showing parts of an elevator-well, the carriage, and a diagrammatic illustration of the electric device. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 illustrate the position and arrangement of the fixed cams as modified. Fig. 6 is a cross-vertical section through the switch-box located in the elevator-carriage, showing the interior arrangements. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section through the switch box, showing the interior arrangements. Figs. 8 and 9 are diagrams for illustrating the action of the switch-blocks and cams. Figs. 10 and 11 show a modified form of my switch-box.

In the drawings, Fig. 1, I have shown an elevatoncarriage, B, and its hoisting-rope C, the well-room being indicated by A and the various floors by A A A A I have within the elevator-well two sets of fixed cam-pieces, D D D and E E E made, as shown, of diiferent degrees of. projection, the use of which will be explained below. IVithin the elevator'carriage I have a switch 10031, H, the interior parts of which are shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8.

M M, Fig. 1, represent an electric device connected to the switch-box H within the carriage and adapted to set in motion that part of the cont-rolling mechanism of the hoistingengine that causes the ascent of the elevatorcarriage, and P P represent an electric device to be used for directing the descent of the elevator-carriage.

I will now describe my switch-box and its contacts and their operation in connection with the fixed cams D D D and E E E.

L and N, Fig. 7, represent bent levers piv' oted, respectively, at L and N, and having stops L N and retractor-springs L N The outer ends, N L of the levers N and L project beyond the walls of the elevator-carriage, so that they may be acted upon by the campieces D D D and E E E. N L of the levers N and L, when not acted upon by the cam-pieces nor by the moving switch-blocks D Figs. 6 and 7, remain in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 7- that is, the springs N L hold the levers N and L against their respective rests N L", thus causing the ends N L to rest in the position shown.

The switch-blocks D and are mounted rigidly on a common shaft, K, which has housings K K, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The switch-blocks D and E are so set on the shaft K that the greater depressions, B, Fig. 6, of each coincide, as shown; but the inclines and lands (Z d d of D are 011 one side of the depression R, while the inclines and lands 6 c e of E are on the opposite side. From R, the point of lowest depression, the switch-block D is cut away, as indicated by (Z (1 Fig. 6, and from R, the point of lowest depression, the switch-block E is cut away, as indicated by dotted lines c e", Fig. 6. Each of the switch-blocks D and E has a series of illclines and lands. Those on the block D are indicated by d d d in Fig. 6, (see also diagram, Fig. 8,) and those on the switch-block E are indicated by c c 6 Fig. 6. The switchblocks D and E are turned by means of the handle K whichis attached to the shaft K, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

The electrical connections within the switchbox H are as follows: The electrode T, common to both electric devices 1 M and P P, is connected to the switch-blocks D E through The inner ends,

the shaft K at t, Fig. 7. The electrode M? rom the electric device M M is connected at m to the lever N, and the electrode P from the electric device P P is connected at 19 t0 the lever L. (See Fig. 7.)

The cam-pieces D D D and E E E may or may not act on their respective levers N and L when the elevator-carriage is in motion, their action depending upon the position of the levers, and their position in turn depends upon the position of the switch-blocks D and E as I will now explain. When both levers are in the position indicated by full lines in Fig. 7, then the elevator-carriage is still, and of course no action can take place; but if the switch-blocks D and E are turned so that one of the lands, d, for instance, has passed under the end N of the lever N, then the carriage in its upward motion would bring the lever N in contact with the fixed cam D (see Fig. 1, and also the diagram, Fig. 9,) in which case the lever N will be thrown in the direction of the arrow S, Fig. 7, so as to occu- -py the place indicated by M, Fig. 9, and its end N would be moved away from the land d-that is, out of electrical contact with itand the lever L (the inner end, L of which being moved on the curve of lowest depression e e Fig. 6) will be moved by the campiece E, Fig. 1; but the movement of this lever has no efiect whatever while the elevator-carriage is in its ascent. By turning the switch-block D so that the next land, d, comes under. the end N of the lever N, then the lever will be moved so that its outer end will not touchthat is, be effected by the cam-piece D Then it (the outer end of the lever) will come in contact with the cam-piece D in the ascent of the carriage and will be thrown out, so as to break the contact between the inner end N of the lever and the land at. The same relative coaction of parts will take place at each successive replacement of the lands d d (1 and the contacts will be made and broken between the end N of the lever N and the lands'cld 01*, and the same is true when the elevator-carriage is descending, except that the movements and contacts relate to the lever L, switch-block E and .campieces E E E.

In the ascent of the carriage the lever L moves, but has no effect, as its switch-block F. is in such a position that thecurve of lowest depression is opposite the inner end and it can have no electrical contact. In the descent of the carriage the lever N is not affected.

The operation of my device is as follows: If we suppose the carriage to be at the bottom of the well or first floor, and that it is desired to have the carriage ascend to the second floor, then the attendant will move the handle K Fig. 6, down to the point marked 2. That act will cause the land (1 to come to a position opposite to and in contact with the end N of the lever N, thus making an electrical connection between the electrodes T and M and completing the circuit for the electric device M M, thus setting the carriage in motion upward. This motion will continue until the carriage reaches the second floor. Then the end N 5 of the lever N will come in contact with the cam-piece D Figs. 1 and 9, and the cam-piece D will throw the end N of the lever N in the direction of the arrow S, Fig. 7, so that it will occupy the position indicated by dotted lines n Fig. 9. This movement of the lever N will cause its end N to break its contact-with the land d, and thus break the circuit between T and M of the electric device M M and stop the carriage. If the carriage is at the bottom and it is desired to go to the top without stopping at any intermediate floor, then the attendant sets the hand K to the point marked 4 on the dialplate K Fig. 6. This action will set the switch-block D so far down as to cause the end N 2 of the lever N to occupy the position shown by M, Fig. 8, and of necessity cause the end N of the lever N to move in the direction of the arrow S and to occupy the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 6. In

this position the end N will be in contact with the switch-block D and the circuit of the electric device M M closed, causing the elevator-carriage to ascend; and as the end N of the lever will be in the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 7that is, so far away from the line of the cam-pieces D and D that it will not come in contact with themit (the lever) will not be moved until the end N comes in contact with the cam-piece D of the top floor. Then the end N is thrown still farther over in the direction of the arrow S, so as to throw the end N out of contact with the switch-block D, and thus break the circuit of the electric device M M and stop the carriage.

To cause the carriage when at any position to stop at any floor, the attendant has simply to move the lever K upor down to the number on the dial K designating the floor to which he wishes to stop, (in going up the lever should be moved to a number and in going down to a number,) and, as has been explained, the switch-contact will be broken at the designated floor and then stop the carriage.

In the drawings, Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, and 11, I have shown a modification of the lever arrangement in my switch-box. In the modification I have substituted the leverY and the sliding rod Y for the bent lever N and the lever W and its sliding rod W for the bent lever L, the other parts in the switch-box being the same. It will be observed that in using the push-rods Y and W instead of the levers N and L it will be necessary to rearrange the cam-pieces in the elevator-well room. I have shown in Figs. 2,3, 4, and 5 the modified cam-pieces in cross-section, their distance of projection being measured from the face of the Wall,since they push the rods Y WV in a line perpendicular to the Walls of the elevator-well and of the carriage.

The leading feature of my device consists of series of cam-pieces fixed in relation to the elevator-Well and arranged to move electric switch-levers projecting from the ele vator-carriage, the amount of movement of the levers that is, the projection of the cam-piecesbeing different for each floor, so that if contact-points (for the switch lever to touch) are made movable Within the carriage and Within the control of the attendant then the movement of the levers caused by the cam-pieces automaticallybreaks the circuit and stops the carriage.

I claim- 1. In an electrically-controlled elevator, the combination of series of fixed cam-pieces of VILLIAM E. NIOKERSON.

\Vitnesses:

FRANK G. PARKER, MATTHEW M. BLUNT. 

